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Episode 24 – The Hunger Games

Spring is here, and what better way to start than watching teenagers savagely murder each other on national television? Better yet, there is The Hunger Games! If you’ve been living in a cave you might as well stay there because it’s all about Katniss, Peeta, and The Capitol’s greatest spectacle. Join the Monkey in the Cage crew this week as they discuss their thoughts on both the book and the film while also being thankful for not starving and fighting to death. Impress those Gamemakers, get plenty of Sponsors, and be sure to watch out for those Tracker Jackers if you plan on surviving this week’s episode on The Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor!

(26:48) – It’s time to talk about The Hunger Games! ** If you do not want to be spoiled on aspects of the book or the movie, you should probably stop listening here, but please, do come back!** Now, on with the discussion!

(28:41) – The discussion starts off on whether or not the book successfully translated to film, how seeing the story rather than imagining it was effective, and the execution of a different narrative to tell the whole story. – Katniss, Rue, President Snow, Cinna, and Haymitch.

(35:52) – Robert expresses his concerns about potential love triangles and character integrity, Matt might be sexist, and we discuss how the setting comes to life, plus shaky-cam!! – Peeta, Gale, The Hob, District 12, and The Capitol.

(43:20) – We talk about the elements that were cut, those that were added, and some of the pieces that went a little sideways or confused Matt. – Avoxes, Muttations, The Game Center, and Capitol technology and weaponry.

This comment makes me so happy! The Hunger Games gets a lot of comparisons to Twilight just because it’s another successful YA series and there happens to be a love triangle. But they are so different! The Hunger Games is heads and shoulders above Twilight and I am glad that not only did you get “cool dad” points but that you enjoyed it!

It also makes my heart happy knowing that your daughter is a fan of the series. I am not sure how old she is but Katniss is a fantastic role model for young girls. =)

My comments this week go out to Matt; first off, Hoorah is for the Marines, the Army says Hooah. Now, this is not the Al Pacino HOO-AH!, but sounds more like Huh. Think halfway between the Japanese Hai!, and the sound you make when you get punched in the stomach. I never did understand the spelling. I know this sounds angry, but the Army ingrained in us to be offended whenever anything Marine related gets applied to soldiers. I think the Army is just secretly jealous of the Marines and their damned beachfront bases. Secondly, I agree wholeheartedly about getting hung up on logistics. If the “slave” population is so spread out, and the ruling government is centrally located, only making an appearance once a year, there is no way they could maintain control. The slaves could simply walk into the forest never to be seen again. Or, if they control the resources that are due to the capital, they could withhold or destroy those resources effectively crippling the government.
One quick question for Ramses: what comic shops did you go to? After West Coast Fantasy shut down, I wasn’t aware of any shops in the immediate area. My brother had mentioned to me a shop in Temecula called Thou Shalt Game, might be worth checking into.
Sorry for the lengthy comment, loving the show, and you’re always welcome to play DnD in my game, just ask Robert.

Hey, Wes! So glad you are liking the show! Regarding keeping the population in control in The Hunger Games, not sure if you’ve read the books, but each district has a crap-load of “Peacekeepers” either from The Capital or District 2 which is part of the resources they provide (like coal for District 12 or Fishing for District 4.) Most of the Peacekeepers are brutal and strict with the laws thus keeping the District citizens in line. They have been doing this since the first rebellion 74 years prior which is also the reasoning behind The Hunger Games themselves.

My point exactly! Plus, with the level of tech utilized by The Capitol as well as the decadent lifestyle, the demand on resources would be huge! Small, localized population centers would need to be constantly moved around thier districts in order to keep from exhausting resource caches. District 12, for example, would quickly deplete the coal available in a particular region, thus needing to locate new sources for mining.

The Roman empire was tremendously huge with massive populations under it’s eye, primarily for the soul purpose of gathering resources and labor to maintain itself…

Aside from all that, I enjoyed the first book and the movie as well and these sorts of thoughts did not detract from my experience.

It’s fine to get hung up on all those logistical aspects but it has zero to do with the story that is trying to be told. Suzanne Collins never makes mention of any of the things that you were having trouble wrapping your head around. So while I can understand you wanting to know those details I just don’t see how it would take anything away from the story or the world as a whole for that matter. We never know how North America fell or how the geography changed. That’s actually part of the reason I love the world of Panem so much, my imagination can fill in the blanks.